[IMG:L]Fresh off his scene-stealing, Academy Award-nominated supporting turn in The Departed, Mark Wahlberg reminds us that he’s still got plenty of leading man roles left to play as he steps into the crosshairs of Shooter. Wahlberg fires a barrage of info on the new film at Hollywood.com and takes aim at a few other targets, including Oscar night, rumors of a Departed sequel and how he currently loves watching Entourage more than living the Hollywood party boy lifestyle that inspired it.
Hollywood.com: What made you decide to make this film?
Mark Wahlberg: Shooter was just a no-brainer. Everything about it made me want to make the movie. I loved the character and I loved the story. We were looking to do something more commercial so that we can be able to get other smaller and interesting movies made and I thought that it had the best of both worlds in it. It said something. It was a smart character driven piece and not just a shoot-’em-up film, which I liked a lot.
HW: Is that the game plan when you pick your films? One commercial project and then one for Boston?
MW: Yeah, but I think that one and two are better. One for them and two for you, but it really depends because it’s a juggling act and it’s all about making the right choices and being in the position to make those choices.
HW: This was a very physically demanding role – did you get hurt at all in any of the big action sequences?
MW: No. Compared to Invincible it was nothing. It was a walk in the park, but getting down to be as thin as I was for the movie, that was difficult. Then of course there was all the mental prep, learning everything that snipers need to know in the short amount of time that we had. It was a lot of running and jumping in this one.
HW: Your character’s a phenomenal marksman – how are your own skills as a sharpshooter?
MW: I could shoot pretty good before, but I had never gone through sniper training before. [Now] I can hit a target at like 1,500 to 2,000 yards.
HW: This is a classic action thriller, but there are some strong political overtones explored as well – homeland security, who’s really in power, etc. Was that something that made this more appealing to you?
MW: I thought that it was great. I thought that especially if young people want to come in and see me kick some ass and get a little information at the same time, it just kind of makes you wonder if these things are really possible. They go out and ask some questions and demand some answers and if you really want to go make some changes maybe it’ll inspire people to want to go out there and vote and do something.
HW: Are you into the whole conspiracy theory side of things?
MW: I am, but that could be a dangerous game. David O’Russell has this other great idea. He wants to do this movie with me about this guy who – Gianni Russo, who was in The Godfather and played the brother in law –hung out with Sinatra and with the Kennedys and all of this stuff. He has a whole other take on what really happened to Marilyn Monroe, JFK and Robert Kennedy. It’s crazy. [But] I went to church today and I’m in a really good mood and giving people the benefit of the doubt, that people are honest and honorable, but ask me that again tomorrow or Tuesday and it might be different.
[IMG:R]HW: Do you think there is a sentiment that people are feeling a little screwed over by our government right now?
MW: Oh, definitely, but that wasn’t [our intention] – it was great that it worked out like that, but it wasn’t what we were really thinking about at the time. We were just like, “Hey, this is a really interesting script.” We were going out to make a big commercial movie and “We thought why not this one?”
HW: You have a great relationship with your co-star Michael Pena in the film.
MW: Yeah, we just clicked. Spent a lot of golf time together. I really admire how committed he is to his work. It was a well-written part and a part that I would’ve loved to have played and that I would’ve chased five or six years ago. I thought that we were really lucky to get him, because I know he’s already been in some great films in a short amount of time. I feel like I can take some of the credit for his success. He’s gonna be a big star.
HW: Entourage is about to come back, more popular than it’s ever been. How involved are you with the show these days?
MW: Well, I’ve been off doing my own thing. If those guys need my help then they’re screwed. They’re so talented and so it’s really just about putting the right pieces of the puzzle together. And kind of between us and HBO kind of getting them to where they needed to be. And now they’re off on their own. I can’t wait. I don’t even want to see the dailies anymore. I want to see it on Sunday night like everyone else.
HW: Are you surprised at how much it’s caught on?
MW: No. We thought that it was going to be a big hit. We always thought that especially with it being on HBO. Initially when I told people about the idea they thought that it sounded like some silly MTV reality show. I was like, “No. It’ll be a traditional sitcom about four guys.” There’s really a guy in the group that everyone can relate to, and with HBO we were able to take our time and develop it. The people that we got involved in the show are just super-talented, and so it’s just a matter of allowing them to do their thing.
HW: The show came from your stories coming up, and are you now seeing them have their own stories?
MW: They all have their own stories. Kevin Connolly is going crazy right now. He bought some $2 million house and he’s having all these problems with construction and all this sh*t. It’s so funny, but they’re all doing great and they’re all enjoying it.
HW: What was your experience like at the Oscars?
MW: I did as much partying as I could. I was still home before twelve. My kids are up really early in the morning and I don’t want to deal with my daughter’s energy while having a hangover. She’s great, and that’s a good reason to keep me sober, but we went out and had dinner afterwards, and then we went to one party with Marty [Scorsese] and everyone. I heard Marty stayed out until like six in the morning. I wonder what that’s like. I know he was with Leo [DiCaprio] and I know what that’s like.
HW: Was it fun to see Scorsese have that huge night after all this time?
MW: And he certainly tried to downplay it like it wasn’t that big of a deal, but I hadn’t ever seen Marty that happy. So it was nice. Based on his body of work I would assume that he would have a house full of those things, but it’s his first one. So to be a part of it was really fun.
HW: How do you feel as an artist who’s done all sorts of projects that only certain kinds of films get noticed from the Academy and others don’t?
MW: It’s fine. Whatever they choose to pick is up to them certainly. I get my one vote. I’ve actually voted for Greg Kinnear instead of myself in the first go round, but it’s fine. I never made a movie because I thought that I might have a chance to be nominated. I mean, being in a movie with Marty was just a chance to work with Marty and I thought that the script was great. I just tried to do something different and hope that people enjoy the films and see what happens. Anything else that happens after that is just icing on the cake.
HW: You’re talking about a sequel to The Departed?
MW: Yeah. I mean, I said the same thing to them that I said to everyone else. If they can make it better than the first one then sure. I spoke to [screenwriter] Bill Monahan and Marty about it and Bill has a really interesting take. I thought that it was really funny that I would be investigating the murder that I committed. That could go anywhere. So, like with The Italian Job for instance we were going to try and make a sequel, but never really got the script where we were all really comfortable with it. So it really depends on the material and the time period. It would be another fun character to play…I mean, look, you’re working with Marty Scorsese and Bill Monahan again. If the script is really strong they’ll bring in someone like [Robert] De Niro to play a corrupt cop or congressman or senator. No, I don’t have any problem with that.
HW: Do you think Scorsese would have to be there at the helm?
MW: Yeah. Look, I think that would be the smart road to go. Me and Marty are doing a TV show as well on HBO and so I think that we can get Marty back…It’s going to be set in Atlantic City. It’s about the mob controlling Atlantic City in the early years, the ’60’s and ’70’s. Nick Pileggi is going to be writing along with someone possibly from The Sopranos writing team. Marty is going to be executive producing it. It’ll be a series on HBO…It’s all kind of happening. Marty is really jazzed about it and HBO is obviously thrilled with the idea of working with him. So I think that in the next couple of weeks we’re going to sit down again.
HW: At this stage in your career, what are the ingredients in a project that make you want to take it on?
MW: Well, right now I’m looking for the kinds of movies that I would go and see, the kinds of movies where I would see a TV spot and go, ‘Wow. I want to see that.’ Those are the movies that I think people want to see me in. I spent a good portion of my career making films, some films that I wasn’t necessarily interested in, but getting an opportunity to work with a certain filmmaker was certainly reason enough to make a choice. I felt like I had a lot to learn and what better way to do it than taking a crash course in working with accomplished filmmakers.
